Was invading Iraq, Afghanistan worth it? West Michigan veterans of war on terror share their views

Cory Morse | The Grand Rapids PressRobert Cook, who served two tours in Iraq with the National Guard, is pictured near the Kent County Fallen Heroes monument at Veteran's Memorial Park in Grand Rapids.

A decade later, the memory of that day is still fresh for Army veteran Robert Cook.

He felt as if he had been sucker punched. And like many in the military at that time, he was eager to pay back those who attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I felt like I wanted to kill them all,” said Cook, 46, of Sparta.

There would be a price.

He came back after two tours in Iraq a scarred version of the man who went to war. He had nightmares, dreams of “scorpions, snakes, car bombs, everything.”

He was anxious. He wanted to blow through stop signs to reduce the chance of getting hit by an imaginary roadside bomb. He would sit by himself on break at a factory job, listening for the sound of incoming mortars.

“The stress of people trying to kill me eventually got to me,” said Cook, who was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in 2007. He retired from the Army National Guard after 26 years in 2008.

“I’m a lot more callous today than I was. It took a lot of the feeling out of me.”

Given the sacrifice of others, Cook realizes he could be deemed fortunate.

Indeed, the burden thrust on the military has been heavy since President George W. Bush grabbed a bullhorn and told a group of hardhats at New York City’s ground zero that “the people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon.”

Two wars followed, in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001 and Iraq less than two years later. The first invasion was aimed at al Qaida, the terrorist group that executed the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The second was largely justified on a threat from weapons of mass destruction that proved false.

More than 6,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed and in excess of 40,000 wounded. More than 200 from Michigan died, including dozens from throughout West Michigan. The mounting toll was underscored by the deaths last month of 30 U.S. troops, including 17 Navy SEALS in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Out of the headlines, countless soldiers returned from war with missing limbs, traumatic brain injuries or lasting psychological damage.

They - and their families - will continue to sacrifice the remainder of their lives.

“It does go on. It will always go on,” said Elena Bridges, coordinator for the Wounded Warrior Traumatic Brain Injury Project, a collaboration between Grand Valley State University and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

“It’s the family that needs to be there for that service member. They are usually the ones picking up the pieces. The service member can’t do it all on their own.”

And she noted the fighting is far from over.

As many as 10,000 U.S. troops may still be in Iraq at year’s end. Nearly 70,000 are likely to be in Afghanistan next summer with no certain timetable for withdrawal. It is now the longest war in U.S. history.

Insurgent forces and widespread corruption continue to undermine political stability in Afghanistan. Iraq isn’t much better off. A Brown University study pegged the cost of both wars at up to $4 trillion, including medical care and disability for current and future war veterans.

Has it been worth it?

Sparta resident Cook wonders. In particular, he joins many war critics in questioning the justification for the Iraq war.

“I think we should never have invaded Iraq. Iraq didn’t have anything to do with 9/11.”

As for Afghanistan, he said: “I know we had to go into Afghanistan. But I think to occupy that country was a mistake. I’ve talked to veterans who have been there and it doesn’t really sound like there is any progress.”

Sam Haglund

Cedar Springs resident and Army veteran Sam Haglund has a different perspective.

Haglund, 27, served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, conducting escort missions and raids in various parts of Iraq.

On balance, Haglund believes the wars helped keep America safe.

“It’s better to be on the offensive than on the defensive. There is a price to pay. But we all wanted to go over there.”

Haglund joined the Army just three months before 9/11. He had no doubt what would happen after what he witnessed that day.

“I knew were going to war as soon as I saw it. I wanted payback. I think a lot of guys did.”

Haglund said it took him nearly a year to adjust to civilian life after he left the Army in 2004. He was later diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder as well.

“It was really bad. It was hard to sleep. I was patrolling around my house, making sure everything was safe. Driving is really hard because you want to drive in the middle of the road because you are scared of (hidden bombs) on the side of the road.”

Haglund now works as a Kent County-based veterans service officer, employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to help former troops back on their feet.

Many struggle with failed marriages or strained relationships, he said. Others have trouble finding work.

Haglund got married just before he left the Army and he credits his wife, Beth, with helping see him through a difficult time.

“Without a good support system it is hard. My wife realized I was a different person when I got back. A lot of the veterans get lost.”

Sparta veteran Cook is trying to rebuild his life a piece at a time. Divorced in 2005, he is engaged to be married. He has been attending classes at Grand Rapids Community College.

“My problem right now is not being able to remember anything. I can’t remember things at all.”

Former Marine Sgt. Ryan Bentele of Cedar Springs returned from war a changed man as well.

Bentele, 35, was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury after a roadside bomb hit the Humvee he was in south of Baghdad in 2004.

Since his discharge in 2006, Bentele also has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. He is forgetful. He is being treated for nerve damage to his back and pelvis area. Because of a hair-trigger temper and other cognitive issues, he has trouble holding a job.

“You do the best you can with what you have. I try to write things down.

“But I’m not person I used to be since I’ve been home.”

But on balance, Bentele insists he does not regret his service in Iraq.

“For my part of what I did and what my unit did, I think we did some good over there. We knew what we signed up for.”